Threads

There is a new kid on the tech block and no, I think we have crossed the ChatGPT phase.. 🙂 Enter ‘Threads’ from Meta and it seems to be a hit right away!

The tech world is extremely fleeting… we are carried away by one piece of technology for a few months and soon another one comes along.. 😉 The adoption of users to this new social media sensation has been mind boggling! Within 2 days of its launch, ‘Threads’ user count is supposed to have crossed 70 million registered users!! (Source: https://www.dexerto.com/tech/threads-smashes-past-15m-users-2201217/)

To understand these statistics better,

ChatGPT is supposed to have hit 100 million users in 2 months

TikTok is supposed to have reached the same milestone in 9 months

Instagram is also supposed to have reached similar numbers in 2 1/2 years! 🙂

(Source: https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20230709161/threads-gets-closer-to-100-million-users-but-the-last-thing-the-world-needs-is-another-social-media-site)

What is Threads?

It is yet another Twitter like micro blogging platform where you can express yourself in words(which have a 500 character limit), videos(which have 5 minute limit), photos or GIFs and which has been created by the Instagram team.

As of today, it is only available as an app for both the Android and Apple versions.

Why did many move to ‘Threads’?

1. There might have been many like me who just wanted to try the new app! 🙂
2. There is always the feeling of ‘FOMO'(Fear of Missing Out :)) that makes everybody try the new app as well
3. It is easier to download the app and sign up through Instagram(it just asks you to ‘Login with Instagram’ and you will be signed in with a few short clicks)
4. Many who did love Twitter were looking at a Twitter alternative
5. And any other reasons that are not being listed here! 🙂

I loved Twitter and its naturalness. So, when Twitter like ‘Threads’ came along, me and many others had to dive right into it! 🙂 ‘Threads’ is Twitter but with a few differences. Here are a few differences that I have noted:

The above infographic summarizes the key differences between the two microblogging sites. To summarize:

1. Twitter allows 280 characters while Threads allows 500 characters
2. There is no DM option in Threads as yet
3. Threads is only available as an app for the Apple and Android platforms(waiting for the web version)
4. Hashtags and “Trending” are not yet available on Threads

Can we delete Threads?

One of most popular questions that was asked was ‘Can we delete our Threads account?’ if and when we want to delete it. As of today, since Threads is linked to your Instagram account, you can deactivate your ‘Threads’ account alone. This will hide your profile and content.

You can delete individual threads but you cannot delete your Threads account without actually deleting your Instagram account. This may change in the future.

These are Adam Mossseri’s (Instagram head) own words with regard to deletion:

How did I find it?

I did find it nice and easy to use. As of now, it is not “Rant Threads” 🙂 and everybody is polite and having good conversations. I do feel like it is an absolute clone of Twitter without the hashtags and “Trending” tags which I terribly miss.

I see “threads” from everybody and not only the people I follow which did seem peculiar.

Future of Threads:

Whether Threads is going to replace Twitter will be seen only time goes by. It is definitely a WIP and I am sure we will see more features like these soon:

1. Trending tags
2. DMs
3. Hashtags
4. Maybe a web version?
5. Maybe a free ‘Edit’ button? 🙂
6. The algorithm may be tweaked to each person’s “likes” and “reposts”?

What do you think of Meta’s new ‘Threads’ app? Have you tried it as yet? Do you think it is as good as Twitter? Will it replace Twitter?